Dahlias

Some we dig up and some we leave with a small mound of peat or compost or woodchips over them. Both methods work well.

Hello mookins, I dig mine up rinse them off and turn up side down on newspaper to drain them, when dry I wrap them in newspaper and store in the dry I usually check after another month to make sure one hasnt rotted. I expect everybody does it differently. I always think saving them every year they seem to be bigger plants but that probably wishful thinking.

Mmmm... think I may dig them up then...would like to be able to move them to other places so maybe best to dig them up

thanks all

x x x

I do exactly the same as Inverglen, some in and some out. I did lose a couple last winter but they were ones I forgot to cover with compost. the ones I bring in I treat the same as drc but I don't wash them .

I do both, but the ones i lift i have planted in large plastic plant pots. I just move the pots into the greenhouse/ coalhouse and leave to dry out. Come Feb/march i knock them out of the pot remove all the dried compost , re pot and water gently and off they go again.
the ones in the ground get a mulch of compost/bark chips etc to help protect them. They are planted deep though 6" or more.

Just to confuse you even more, Mookins, I read an article recently in a garden mag that said that most people aren't bothering to lift them any more and they seem to carry on growing, though there's always a risk that you'll lose them to rot, in particular. My Dad was a champion dahlia grower and it was with an almost religious ritual fervour that he would "put them to bed" for the winter by lifting and storing. I lifted one last year and kept it in the garage - it died anyway, probably too cold when we had the snow.

sounds like 'anything goes' then doesn't it Mookins.
Bamboo, does the heaviness and dampness of the soil have any bearing on whether it's advisable to lift them or not?

yes lily2 heavy wet clay is a nightmare for them. as its the wet that causes the rot.

It didn't mention that in the article, but my dad always lifted because we had heavy clay soil in south london, where he grew them for years. Strikes me that rotting is more likely in heavy, claggy soil, though.

I take mine up because of the clay too, and I wrap them in newspaper to keep them from getting so cold as you already said.

Mmmm... will defo lift mine then, my babies would be mortified to lose them.

the front garden is dry...so dry and when it gets wet it seems to just soak away to dry real quick again.Dont know whether thats cos we have a south facing house?
but the back where the dahlias are is lovely soil until it gets really wet and then its like big gloops of soil that dries into hard lumps unless hoed really well when moist, when its happy medium its lovely to work with.

x x x

It is years since I grew them, at the time all the books said lift them wash them make shore that they are dry dust them in coppersulfate and store them in the dark not tuching but what I found was that some years I lost more to rot by lifting them, and I came to the conclusion that in a mild winter leave them alone in a server winter cover with woodchip or compas,do not cover with plastic unless it is to cover paper the best thing aginst frost but the paper must be dry, they do not rot in the ground ,frost gets them, the choise is yours but If I had some that I prised I would cover them.X

by the way moonkins it sounds as though your front garden is short of humes, I will bet that it is also short of worms'' get a load of manure dug in not out of a packet good honest cow muck X

it is terrible Cliffo
definatly needs something
got plenty of cows round this way too

thanks for the advice

x x x